


In hindsight, we should have seen this coming

by ThatsrightZoeyeyye



Series: NaNoWriMo 2019 (but i'm cheating a little bit) [4]
Category: Firebringer - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fake Dating, Prompt:, anyway enjoy, anyway i love my cave gals, classic tropes:, omg they were roommates, oops i fell in love with my friend, they are DUMBASSES
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:29:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatsrightZoeyeyye/pseuds/ThatsrightZoeyeyye
Summary: Why she had agreed to go to the bar with her friends, Jemilla didn't know.She hadn't spent the whole time thinking about the glow in Zazzalil's eyes when she hadgiggledat her, nope. She was not crushing on her best friend because of one stupid decision.Jemilla and Zazzalil locked eyes from opposite sides of the table and smiled.(prompt: fake dating)





	In hindsight, we should have seen this coming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starkid writes discord](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=starkid+writes+discord).

> Prompt: fake dating  
I wrote this in one day (well, six or seven hours, writing is hard)  
Hope you like it :)

Why she had agreed to go to the bar with her friends, Jemilla didn't know. Emberly and Grunt wanted to try every single one of their beers, so they had to come often. Zazzalil just wanted to have a good time. Jemilla didn't. She could have stayed home with a warm cup of tea -the new kind she had gotten for her birthday, it was delicious- and a new book, but for some reason she had accepted to spend her Friday evening at a bar.

It's not like she wasn't having fun. Sure, it was very loud, full of drunk people, and Emberly and Grunt were getting embarrassingly handsy, but her weirdly-named cocktail was good, and her friends were there. Zazzalil was sitting next to her, laughing at something the barman had just told her, and Jemilla chuckled quietly. She was having fun, somehow.

What she wasn't expecting, was to see Schwoopsie walking towards her. Their relationship hadn't ended _badly_, just awkwardly. And Jemilla had heard from Ducker that she wanted them to get back together. And Jemilla didn't want to get back together. And Jemilla had no idea how to turn her down without hurting her feelings.

God, relationships were hard.

So Jemilla nudged Zazzalil's elbow. Her friend smiled at her, still laughing at the barman's joke. Her eyes were shining, her smile bright. She was glowing.

“Pretend we're dating.” Jemilla whispered.

“What?” Zazzalil frowned, confused.

“Please.” Jemilla added. The other girl seemed to sense the urgency in her voice, because she nodded slightly and sat closer to her friend.

“Hey, Jemilla! I didn't know you'd be here.” Schwoopsie's voice rung out.

“My girlfriend wanted to go out, so I went with her.” Jemilla answered automatically. “You know Zazzalil, right?”

Schwoopsie seemed taken aback for a second. Zazzalil was smiling, and the way she looked at Jemilla really wasn't the kind of look you gave a friend.

_Damn, she's a good actor_, Jemilla thought.

“Yeah, we've had a few classes together,” the blonde answered. “You guys are dating?”

“We are.” Zazzalil answered, giggling. She grabbed her “girlfriend”'s hand, and Jemilla had to remind herself that it was just pretend, trying to get her heart to beat less fast. She smiled shyly.

“Okay” Schwoopsie murmured hesitantly. “Well, um, I gotta go. It was nice talking to you, Jemilla.”

The latter nodded, trying to smile naturally.

Once her ex-girlfriend was gone, Jemilla, let out a loud sigh.

“Thanks.” she whispered.

“You're welcome.” Zazzalil breathed out, throwing her half a smile.

ooo

Zazzalil and Jemilla were arguing. It wasn't unusual, they had different opinions on many subjects. Being roommates certainly didn't help the situation. They often found some sort of compromise, but they did spend a lot of time arguing first. Everyone was used to it.

“OoOoOoh, lover's quarrrrel.” Keeri sung out as she walked past them.

“What.” Zazzalil deadpanned.

Jemilla had never been happier that she was physically unable to blush. She certainly hadn't forgotten about the bar scene, it was only three days before. She hadn't spent the whole time thinking about the glow in Zazzalil's eyes when she had _giggled_ at her, nope. She was not crushing on her best friend because of one stupid decision. She was pretty good at convincing her brain to think what she wanted to think.

Zazzalil seemed to remember and laughed awkwardly. Keeri was already gone.

ooo

“We're not going to buy Nerf guns, Zazzalil.” Jemilla sighed at her roommate, who was looking at her with puppy eyes and a Nerf gun's box in her hand.

“First of all, I didn't say Nerf guns, I said a Nerf gun.” Zazzalil protested. “And it's 30% off! Our apartment would be so much better with this in it!”

“One, our apartment is just fine without it. Two, it's still expensive. Three, you would break things.”

Zazzalil gasped in mock offense.

A voice rung out next to them.

“Come on, J-Mills! Have some fun, your friend here is right. I didn't raise a boring daughter.”

A bright smile appeared on Zazzalil's face when she saw the woman who was walking towards her.

“See, J, listen to your mother.”

Jemilla face-palmed.

“Zazzalil, you are disaster.” she whispered.

Molag's face lit up, and she turned to her daughter's roommate.

“You're Zazzalil!” she exclaimed. “Jemilla, your friends told me about her. Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?”

It had been two weeks since anyone had mentioned that, and both girls had honestly thought everyone would have forgotten about it. What they didn't expect, was to meet Jemilla's mother at the mall, and for her to think they were _actually_ dating. Before they could say anything, Molag talked again.

“It's so nice to see you dating someone again! Why don't you both come spend the weekend at my place for Easter? Zazzalil here can meet the whole family, they haven't heard about Jemilla's love life since that Clark boy a few years back. He was nice enough, they'll need to see you found a great person to replace him. You can just come on Friday evening, and stay until Monday. Everyone will be delighted to see you girls. I'll see you there!”

And she was already gone.

“I haven't celebrated Easter in years.” Zazzalil said.

“Well,” Jemilla sighed. “You're gonna have to celebrate this year. My mom's not gonna let you escape that unless you die.”

“Can't you just tell her we're not dating?” Zazzalil asked in a small voice. “She's going to find out at some point.”

“She won't believe me. I pretended to break up with two of my partners to make them escape family reunions. She won't let it happen again.”

They stayed silent for a minute.

“Can I bring my new Nerf gun there, then?”

ooo

To break the awkwardness, they had decided to take it as a joke. They were going to spend three days with Jemilla's extended family, pretend to be very much in love, and have fun. Zazzalil was allowed to bring her Nerf gun.

Once Jemilla managed to park her old car between all of her great-uncles' huge, expensive, badly parked cars, they walked to the door. It was already 10 pm.

After a small hour of saying hello to everyone and chatting, they went upstairs. Surprisingly, no one had made any kind of mildly homophobic comment. It was good news.

Zazzalil sat on the bed and sighed loudly.

“How do you remember all of their names?” she asked, exhaustion sounding in her voice.

“I don't.” Jemilla chuckled. “I'm glad they introduced themselves and didn't ask me to tell who everyone is, I would have been unable.”

“You have a big family, it's nice.” Zazzalil said quietly from where she now lay on the bed.

Jemilla suddenly remembered why her friend hadn't celebrated Easter in the past few years. It's not that her family wasn't christian enough, they were _very_ christian. That was what had pushed Zazzalil to get away as soon as she turned 18 and moved to their college apartment. They didn't want a queer girl in the family.

Jemilla unpacked quietly, trying not to bother Zazzalil. It had been years since she had been forced to leave her family behind. She was an adult now, and her financial situation was good, despite not having help from anyone. She never talked about them, and Jemilla didn't know whether she should bring up the subject.

She brushed her teeth, tried her best to brush her hair, changed into pajamas, and went back to her room.

“Um...” she murmured “I'm sorry you don't have your own bed. There's not enough room.”

“It's okay.” Zazzalil smiled. “We've had sleepovers before.”

Jemilla nodded, and they stayed silent as she put her jeans on a chair.

“Well, I'm gonna take a quick shower.” Zazzalil said, and she left the room. When she came back, Jemilla was already asleep.

ooo

It was three in the morning, and Zazzalil had been awake for an hour. She was used to insomnias, but it didn't make them any less annoying.

She looked at Jemilla, who was breathing softly next to her. She looked very peaceful when she slept, with her curls falling on her cheek and a smile stuck on her face. She was adorable.

She knew this would be a weird week-end, and she wasn't prepared for it. She had never met any of her previous partners' parents, and there she was, spending three days with the entire extended family of a girl she wasn't even dating.

Except she was in love with her.

In hindsight, she had probably been for a very long time. She had only realized it a few weeks before, that night at the bar, when Jemilla had referred to her as her girlfriend, and her heart had burst like it was real, even though her head knew it wasn't. It had hurt a little.

For three days, she was allowed to be open to people about her love for her friend. Jemilla would think it was fake, but it didn't have to matter.

ooo

Jemilla woke up early, and went downstairs for breakfast. She knew Zazzalil would sleep in, and there was no way she was going to stay inactive for so long.

She was sitting in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee, listening to two of her aunts complaining about their sons as if they hadn't spoiled them all their childhoods, as one of her great-uncles read the news on his tablet, when Zazzalil came in. She was wearing her dance shorts and one of Jemilla's sweatshirts. It was way too big for her. Her hair was messy, and her eyes still half-closed. She smiled sleepily and waved, her hand hidden in the hem of the hoodie's long arm.

She walked to Jemilla and planted a kiss on the top of her head, whispering a tired “hey, babe” as she grabbed a mug and the coffee pot. The aunts were smiling. Jemilla was staring at her coffee intently.

ooo

“So how long have you two been together?” Jemilla grandmother asked while they were eating the main course. Her cousin and his new girlfiend had already been interrogated, and their time had come.

“A few months.” she answered, sticking to the story they had crafted beforehand.

Nobody dared asking any more questions, scared they would sound homophobic. They had been avoiding Zazzalil ever since they had asked whether her family was sad not to have her for Easter, and she had explained the circumstances. Jemilla knew one of her great-uncles was itching to ask stupid questions, but was actually smart enough to know not to ask them.

Maybe the week-end would go smoothly.

ooo

She was doomed, Jemilla realized soon enough.

So, okay, she might have had a small crush on Zazzalil ever since the bar scene, but she had the situation in control. Soon it would be gone, and she could move on to not having a crush on her roommate, which was embarrassing.

What she was not prepared for, though, was for Zazzalil to call her “babe” at every chance she got, because they said they'd seriously pretend to be dating, and pet names would be fun. So Jemilla had starting calling her friend “babe” too, sometimes even “love”, and it felt a little too nice.

She realized her hair smelled really good, and her hands were really soft, and her smile was really beautiful, and she found herself wishing it all were true.

She wondered how she had managed to date three people for real. It seemed so easy with the others. She loved them, they loved her back, they were in love, it was magical.

But with Zazzalil, it was _love_. It was that constant tinge in her chest, that pure joy when she saw her smile, that burst of happiness when she heard her laugh, that strong feeling of pride when people complimented her. She _loved_ her, but Zazzalil thought of her as a friend. It hurt a little too much.

ooo

On Monday afternoon, they kissed everyone goodbye, and everyone asked to see Zazzalil again as soon as possible. Jemilla smiled at them, a smile they would take as a “yes”. She wasn't actually saying “yes”, so it couldn't really be considered a lie. She didn't like lying. She didn't like to disappoint either.

The drive back home was silent. As soon as they got to their apartment, they sat on the sofa and sighed.

“Your family's cool, babe.” Zazzalil said, laughing. Jemilla kind of wished she hadn't said it. She stayed silent.

“Hey, Jemilla?” Zazzalil asked quietly. Jemilla turned her head and saw her friend, curled up on a sofa, staring at her hands.

“Why didn't you just tell people we weren't dating before it got out of hand?”

She contemplated the question. She knew the answer, obviously, but she couldn't tell that to Zazzalil. The silence filled the room, almost suffocating.

“We never ended up kissing.” Zazzalil laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. “What if you're a bad kisser? I'd have to break up with you.”

“I'm pretty sure I'm a better kisser than you.” Jemilla huffed, trying her best not to let too much emotion show.

Zazzalil raised an eyebrow.

“Is that a challenge, J-Mills?”

“What if it is?”, the latter answered, raising an eyebrow.

Jemilla wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't for Zazzalil to lounge herself at her and catch her in a kiss. It wasn't a bad thing, she thought as she kissed her back, bringing her hands to the back her neck.

“You were right,” Zazzalil admitted when they she finally pulled away, breathless, after what felt like ages, “you're a pretty good kisser.”

“You're not too bad yourself.” Jemilla answered, raising her eyes to the shorter girl's.

“Maybe I won't have to break up with you, after all.” the latter murmured.

Tentatively, she brought her lips to Jemilla's again, more softly this time, and they kissed slowly, delicately, lovingly, melting in each other's touch.

ooo

They were at the bar again. Tiblyn was desperate for relationship advice.

“But you're such a great couple, you must have done something well somewhere, right?”

Zazzalil and Jemilla shook their heads.

“How did you get together? One of you must have asked the other out. How do you _do_ that? It's so hard!”

“Believe me, the way we got together definitely isn't ideal.” Jemilla chuckled.

“But it worked!” Tiblyn exclaimed. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Okay,” Zazzalil sighed. “All you need is someone you don't actually like that much, an ex, an invasive mother, a big family reunion, and to actually fall in love.”

“What?” Tiblyn asked, confused.

Jemilla and Zazzalil locked eyes from opposite sides of the table and smiled.

“It worked for us.” Jemilla added. “I'm not sure _how_, exactly, but it did.” Tiblyn sighed.

“I should just ask Emberly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! I'm working on a smol one-shot, wait for it if you want to read about our favorite gal, Jemilla.  
Kudos and comments pwease?


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